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Summary of the Book of Colossians

This summary of the book of Colossians provides information about the title, author(s), date of writing, chronology, theme,
theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the Book of Colossians.

Author, Date and Place of Writing

That
Colossians is a genuine letter of Paul (1:1) is usually not disputed. In the
early church, all who speak on the subject of authorship ascribe it to Paul.
In the 19th century, however, some thought that the heresy refuted in ch. 2
was second-century Gnosticism. But a careful analysis of ch. 2 shows that the
heresy referred to there is noticeably less developed than the Gnosticism of
leading Gnostic teachers of the second and third centuries. Also, the seeds
of what later became the full-blown Gnosticism of the second century were present
in the first century and already making inroads into the churches. Consequently,
it is not necessary to date Colossians in the second century at a time too
late for Paul to have written the letter.

Instead, it is to be dated during Paul's first imprisonment in Rome, where
he spent at least two years under house arrest (see Ac 28:16-31). Some have
argued that Paul wrote Colossians from Ephesus or Caesarea, but most of the
evidence favors Rome as the place where Paul penned all the Prison Letters
(Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians and Philemon). Colossians should be dated
c. a.d. 60, in the same year as Ephesians and Philemon.

Colosse: The Town and the Church

Several hundred years before Paul's day, Colosse had been a leading city
in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). It was located on the Lycus River and on
the great east-west trade route leading from Ephesus on the Aegean Sea to the
Euphrates River (see map, p. 2288). By the first century a.d. Colosse was diminished
to a second-rate market town, which had been surpassed long before in power
and importance by the neighboring towns of Laodicea and Hierapolis (see 4:13).

What gave Colosse NT importance, however, was the fact that, during Paul's
three-year ministry in Ephesus, Epaphras had been converted and had carried
the gospel to Colosse (cf. 1:7-8; Ac 19:10). The young church that resulted
then became the target of heretical attack, which led to Epaphras's visit to
Paul in Rome and ultimately to the penning of the Colossian letter.

Perhaps as a result of the efforts of Epaphras or other converts of Paul,
Christian churches had also been established in Laodicea and Hierapolis. Some
of them were house churches (see 4:15; Phm 2). Most likely all of them were
primarily Gentile.

The Colossian Heresy

Paul never explicitly describes the false teaching he opposes in the Colossian
letter. The nature of the heresy must be inferred from statements he made in
opposition to the false teachers. An analysis of his refutation suggests that
the heresy was diverse in nature. Some of the elements of its teachings were:

Ceremonialism. It held to strict rules about the kinds of
permissible food and drink, religious festivals (2:16-17) and circumcision
(2:11; 3:11).

Asceticism. "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"
(2:21; cf. 2:23).

These elements seem to fall into two categories, Jewish and Gnostic. It is
likely, therefore, that the Colossian heresy was a mixture of an extreme form
of Judaism and an early stage of Gnosticism (see Introduction to 1 John: Gnosticism;
see also note on 2:23).

Purpose and Theme

Paul's purpose is to refute the Colossian heresy. To accomplish this goal,
he exalts Christ as the very image of God (1:15), the Creator (1:16), the preexistent sustainer of all things (1:17), the head of the church (1:18), the first to be resurrected (1:18), the fullness of deity in bodily form (1:19; 2:9) and
the reconciler (1:20-22). Thus Christ is completely adequate. We "have been
given fullness in Christ" (2:10). On the other hand, the Colossian heresy was
altogether inadequate. It was a hollow and deceptive philosophy (2:8), lacking
any ability to restrain the old sinful nature (2:23).

The theme of Colossians is the complete adequacy of Christ as contrasted
with the emptiness of mere human philosophy.